(1) With regard to the Government’s decision to provide domestic
ethanol manufacturers with a production subsidy to offset the excise
of 38.143 cents per litre applying to ethanol: (a) can the Minister advise:
(i) what work was undertaken by Treasury, the Government’s Energy Task
Force or any other Commonwealth agency to model the effects on livestock
feed grains (in terms of price and availability) within Australia as
a result of this decision prior to the introduction of this measure
in September 2002; and (ii) what work was undertaken by Treasury, the
Government’s Energy Task Force or any other Commonwealth agency to
model the effects on livestock feed grains (in terms of price and availability)
within Australia as a result of the decision to extend this measure
to 2008; and (b) can a copy be provided of reports by Treasury, the
Government’s Energy Task Force or any other Commonwealth agency on
the effects of these measures on livestock feed grains within Australia;
if not, why not.

(2) What work was or is currently being undertaken Treasury, the Government’s
Energy Task Force or any other Commonwealth agency to model the effects
on livestock feed grains (in terms of price and availability) within
Australia as a result of the following promises contained in the Coalition’s
2001 Election Statement entitled ‘Our Future Action Plan Growing Stronger’:
(a) setting a target that biofuels contribute 350 million litres to
the total annual transport fuel supply by 2010; and (b) introducing a
capital subsidy of $0.16 for each litre of new or expanded biofuel production
capacity until the additional 310 million litres target is reached or
by the end of 2006-07.